Clarification appended
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Working Group welcomes Syngenta’s announcement today that it will cease production of the toxic weedkiller paraquat at its United Kingdom facility. But it doesn’t change the fact that U.S. state legislators must keep fighting to ban the notorious chemical.
There are dozens of other paraquat herbicides on the market today, sold by other companies. Syngenta has also made no announcement about its brand Gramoxone that contains paraquat. Paraquat is still being produced by other companies at facilities in China.
Exposure to paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, childhood leukemia and more. At least 70 countries have banned paraquat because it threatens the health of people exposed to the chemical. That includes the United Kingdom, Syngenta’s only manufacturing site for paraquat globally.
Ironically, U.K. farmers are prohibited by their government from using paraquat due to concerns about the chemical’s risks.
“While it’s good news that Syngenta will stop making paraquat in the United Kingdom, no one should fall for this classic industry bait and switch,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “Until paraquat is banned, Syngenta and other companies will make this dangerous pesticide, putting farmers and rural residents at risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
Twelve states are currently weighing bills to prohibit use of the toxic weedkiller paraquat entirely or near public schools, signaling growing support for banning the chemical.
While much of the paraquat applied winds up in the soil for years, the chemical can also drift through the air or linger in dust. A recent Environmental Protection Agency review found paraquat can drift further than was previously thought.
This pesticide drift creates health concerns. Recent studies show workers and residents in areas with the highest use of the chemical face greater risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Risks of using paraquat
Swiss-based Syngenta, which was acquired by a Chinese state-owned chemical conglomerate, has long understood the chemical’s health risks. But it spent decades hiding this knowledge from the public and the EPA. Chinese and Swiss farmers are also banned from using paraquat on their fields.
Chronic exposure to paraquat increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by reducing the number of neurons in dopamine-producing parts of the brain. Researchers have used paraquat exposure in animals to study Parkinson’s disease.
A study using data from the National Institutes of Health found people who sprayed paraquat were more than twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as those who applied other pesticides. And a meta-analysis of 13 studies found a 64% increase in the likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease from paraquat exposure.
It’s not just the people applying the weedkiller who face health risks.
Most recently, findings from researchers at UCLA show that people living or working within 500 meters, or about 1,640 feet, of paraquat application could more than double their odds of developing Parkinson’s.
Other health problems linked to paraquat include thyroid disease and cancer, impaired kidney function, childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Like Syngenta, the EPA has long understood the risks posed by paraquat but has ignored the potential exposure faced by people working on farms or living nearby.
The agency assumes that people spraying paraquat will follow instructions designed to minimize drift and harm. But studies show “off label” use of pesticides is common, with virtually no enforcement. Two recent investigations in California and Pennsylvania found that paraquat is not always used according to the instructions on the label.
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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
Editor's note: This news release has been updated to clarify the scope of Syngenta's statement.
